2026-10-07T19:19:53Z https://api.figshare.com/v2/oai

oai:figshare.com:article/33890200 2026-09-17T12:25:48Z category_24250 category_24256 category_24259 item_type_3 month_year_09_2026

Genomic evidence suggests resilience to ocean warming in a deep sea bamboo coral Tianzhen Wu (24490898) Biological adaptation Evolutionary ecology Evolutionary impacts of climate change Global warming Deep-sea Keratoisididae Genome Adaptive evolution Calcification <p dir="ltr">Cold-water corals sustain diverse deep-sea ecosystems, yet their fate under global warming and ocean acidification remains uncertain. Here, we report a high-quality genome assembly of the unidentified cosmopolitan bamboo coral Keratoisididae sp. D1_2022 and identify genomic features potentially associated with its resilience to ongoing ocean warming. Evidence for this resilience includes: (1) an evolutionary origin dating to the mid-Cretaceous, suggesting a genomic reservoir of thermotolerance; (2) population dynamics over the past seven million years that correlate positively with global temperatures, indicating a preference for warmer conditions; and (3) significant positive selection in genes related to biomolecular stability, alongside the expansion of gene families involved in calcification and environmental stimuli response. Stabilization of macromolecular systems and expansion of extracellular matrix proteins appear to represent shared adaptive strategies to deep-sea environments across all five deep-sea corals examined. Additionally, an octocoral-specific calcification-related gene subfamily, designated <i>SLC4ζ</i>, was identified, which underwent two duplication events prior to divergence of the octocoral common ancestor. All resulting copies remain functionally active, highlighting their potential importance in octocoral calcification and long-term adaptation. Collectively, this study provides a genomic resource and reveals a robust survival potential in Keratoisididae under climate change, offering theoretical support for deep-sea conservation strategies.</p> 2026-09-17T12:25:48Z Dataset Dataset 10.6084/m9.figshare.33890200.v1 https://figshare.com/articles/dataset/Genomic_evidence_suggests_resilience_to_ocean_warming_in_a_deep_sea_bamboo_coral/33890200 CC BY 4.0